The battle of Aug. 9 in the Solomon Islands had long been veiled in mystery. This much had been known: the Australian cruiser Canberra and four transports had been sunk. This week the Navy let some more news trickle and the trickle turned out to be a torrent. Three heavy U.S. cruisers were sunk: the Quincy, Vincennes and Astoria. The Jap, surprised at the Marines' landing Aug. 7, had turned around less than 48 hours later and pulled his own surprise. Casualties were "many," but "a majority" were saved. The Navy has not yet...
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